Cold Blood
by Cheshire of a smile
Summary: "Karkat Vantas?" You look up from where you kneel on the ground, head down and arms tied behind your back. "You've been found guilty of all charges." You're name is Karkat and you've been charged with a rash of murders that have been spreading. You're forced into social exile and forced to lay low, lest you suffer the consequences.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: this is my first homestuck fic I'm publishing (mainly because I'm typing and not handwriting this). I love the aspects so those will be a thing in here. Tell me what you think! I know the style is a little choppy, I'm still getting that down. I don't own homestuck.

* * *

"Karkat Vantas?" You look up from where you kneel on the ground, head down and arms tied behind your back. "You've been found guilty of all charges, we'll be holding a trace on you, effective immediately. You'll have someone monitoring you at all times. Should you be brought back in, your aspect will be removed and you will be out in prison."

You tense up at the murmur that rippled through the room. They all think you're wicked, evil, vile. They know the pain that stealing away your aspect would inflict - especially one like yours - but they would do it anyway to stop you. Well, what they think is you. You've heard the stories of abilities being taken, you've met some who've had it happened. Sometimes it would be fine if it's a monster that floods in an takes over - your friend Gamzee had been that way for a long time before the Rage was taken away. It hadn't been pleasant but he was back to normal... ish. You'd heard from your best friend, Sollux, that his cousin had lost his ability to See and it had driven him off the deep end before the ability had been safely removed. It wasn't always so bad.

Then you remember the day that a girl had had her Light taken away and those near-merciful acts seem meaningless because she may as well have been doomed with how dark she'd gone. You shudder in wonder of what would happen to you.

You look up again only when you're grabbed roughly by your arm and dragged to your feet. You look up to see a cold and judgemental set of eyes looking up at the judge rather than eye you and put on a scowl. The man, no more than nineteen, pulls you out of the room harshly, tripping every so often on the uneven floors. Vision was minimal in the flickering lighting of the courtroom and you're thankful for your escort's good eyes.

Once outside, darkness gives way to moonlight and your thankful that it's not day or you'd go blind from the initial light after leaving that shit-hole. You're dragged unceremoniously through the cobble-stone streets, noting a few childish faces pressed to windows so they can watch the display. Of course, it's just your luck that this guy's home is /all the way across fucking town/ but it could have been worse. Obviously the council had found humility to be more important than quick access even with the charges against you.

And then you're there, shoved into the hovel. It wasn't as harsh as the rest of the trip but enough to send you to the floor, glaring up at your watcher. "What? You couldn't have been any fucking rougher?" you snap sarcastically, voice rough and bitter.

"I should just leave you tied up there, you'd be a lot easier to take care of." Oh god, that insufferable prick, with his obnoxious lisp, and that shit-eating grin that exposes his fangs, and those blue and red eyes that just seem to laugh at you. You really want to just fucking kill him but you would never do that to your best friend. Then again, he probably knew this all would happen...

"No fucking way or I'll be after you while you're sleeping. You're keeping a criminal in your house, watch your back, athhole."

And Sollux just laughs at you and your pathetic anger. "Come on, KK. I know you wouldn't do that, and you know you wouldn't do that, so why should I be worried?" He comes around and unbinds you carefully so that your arm doesn't twist anymore. "You're just so lucky that I'm me and not someone else, because someone else would just shove you away in a cellar. You should be grateful."

You scowl more and flinch slightly while working out the cramps in your arms and back. "Oh yes, I am oh so thankful that of all the asshats that could have supervised me, it is none other than the great Solluxander, stuff of legends. Please, Sollux, hold me while I swoon over the fortune that has befallen me." Your eyes roll and meet his before thawing slightly. Maybe you are lucky, but you'll never let him know that. Not yet at least, because it would just give him way too much to throw back at you.

With a huff, he leaves you and barricades himself in his bedroom for the evening. You yourself curl up on the couch, eyes falling shut. Even with how little you sleep usually, the last few days had beaten and abused you to the brink of exhaustion that you only really once you're laying down. Slipping into the land of unconsciousness, you're not blessed to be free of the nightmares that send you spasming regularly, you're just to tired to pull away from them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Fourteen years ago_

Your name is Solluxander Captor and You're five years old. You have an older cousin who's more like a brother to you and he's taking you for a walk in the Square. You know you're different and you're okay with it, your eyes don't bother you as much as they unnerve others. They're just a mark of things that you'll grow into and handle.

Mituna holds your hand and you watch people who walk by, who work at booths, who sit and enjoy the weather. A few stop and giver the two of you looks as if its the devil himself in their town but it doesn't bother either Captor. The two of you sit on the edge of the fountain, having breakfast calmly while watching the passer-by's.

After a little while, something catches your eye. Well, it's two somethings and those something's are someones, and wow, even your hyperactive brain had trouble following that train of thought. Anyway, the two someones - a man and his son you guess - were sitting on a bench together, the boy curled up. He looked so... frail. He was curled up in the older man's lap, being held almost protectively but it was easy to see that this boy was all small bones through the fabric that hung off him too large.

He was released and set on the ground to stand and did so clutching the bench for support. Your heart dropped a little, feeling sorry for him, but you guess he can't be any more than three. He tilted his head back a little and you see the dark circles set in his pale skin. His black hair falls out of the way and when his eyes meet yours you see they're blood-red.

You're curious about him and want to go over when Mituna says its time to go and he pulls you back towards the house.

* * *

You don't see the boy again for a few weeks, but when you do he looks almost a little better. The circles are less prominent and you figure it's because he's gotten more sleep. There's a little more colour in his face but it's just a light red flush to his cheeks. You guess that that's a good thing.

* * *

You see him a few more times before you finally get up the nerve to go say hi. It shouldn't be this hard but something about him is unnerving and fascinating in ways that make your head spin a little.

He isn't with the man this time, but a girl who looked a couple years older, about Mituna's age. She was fretting over him a little while the kid kept watching his feet. He looks sick again but you don't let the stop you as you walk up to the bench he's sitting on.

"Hi!" He looks up at you tiredly, then at the hand shoved between you for him to shake. "I'm Sollux, what's your name?"

You see his shoulders rise an fall in time with a small rasping sound before he reaches out and shakes your hand. Well, more like to hold your hand while his own trembles as if he was lifting something heavy.

"Kar-" he takes a deep, wheezing breath, "-kat." His voice was strained and you get hit with the idea that he has to be your age, just small and... sick.

"Nice to meet you, KK what's up?" The girl doesn't seem to like you very much because she's looking at you like you were sinning. It wasn't the way that people usually looked at you though, but more like she was being caused pain.

"You... You lisp like an... idiot," he said, accompanied by a shaky little hiccuping sounds that you realize is laughter.

"At least I can talk all in one go."

"Take... That back. I can't help it."

"I can't help it either!"

"Alright, Thollox."

"It's Ssssssollux!" You push the S out by force and glare at him. And the the two of you are down in the grass, trying to land a punch before your guardians drag you apart.

"D-Del-rose," whines Karkat, glaring up at the woman but it's obvious to you that he's thankful from the way his body shakes and breath squeaks. They say a small goodbye and leave you to Mituna. It's not until they're several feet away that Karkat breaks into a rough series of coughs.

Mituna wasn't so disappointed, in fact he was a little amused.

That was your first meeting with Karkat Vantas. You didn't realize then what a difference he would make to you, or that it would bother you so much when you don't get to see him again for a while - but he did, and it does.

* * *

A/N: I think I'll do stuff like this for the next couple of chapters, just some back story things. Or should I insert them between chapters? What do you guys think?


	3. Chapter 3

_Twelve years ago. _

It's two years before you see Karkat again and he's barely left your thoughts since then. It drives you mad on several occasions as to why you can't stop thinking about that stupid kid - hell, in the shape you last saw him you would be amazed if he was still alive. But those red eyes haunt your dreams for reasons you can't understand.

You're walking in one of the parks by yourself - Mituna had had to go away on a mission for the high council, leaving Sollux to his own devices - when you see someone moving in the shade between the trees. You pull the hood of your cloak down over your eyes a little before drifting over to watch.

It's a boy, small in stature and size. He had his back to you, a red cloak billowing around him with each movement, raven hair flipping with his steps. It takes you a moment to realize what he's doing, but you notice the curved blades he's wielding with utter expertise, if not simply. He turns to you in one swift movement and the dark circles and pale skin tip you off before his eyes even flash open to revile crimson irises.

He freezes, mid-swing, and stares at you like a dear caught in the headlights (of course you don't know what 'headlights' are, but for the purpose of description you find it alright to modernize by about a hundred years and two universes) before he broke out of the state and launched himself at you, sending both of you to the ground with the momentum. A sickle tip sinks into the ground next to your neck, the rest hovering precariously over your throat and the handle clutched tightly by the other boy.

"Who the hell are you?" His voice is strong and clear, a growl rumbling through his tone.

You're an idiot. You laugh and pull your hood back, smirking at him. "Hey, KK. Long time no see." He groans and gets off you, giving the sickles a twirl before sheathing them again at his hips. He stands up and looks at you irately as you rise a few inches taller than him. "I bet you would make a lot more friends if you didn't try killing them," you point out, utterly smug.

"I bet you'd make a lot more friends too if you cut out the shit-eating grin. Wait, not even that can compensate for your personality." You take a moment to examine him to see he looks tired and worn out. He's certainly toughened up in the last two years, but you can't help noticing the small rasping that comes with every breath and the occasional, pained flinch he gives.

"Wow, isn't someone good with words?" Traditionally, you lost the fight - even if unofficial - so you should at least admit it, but that would be yielding and you would never give this guy that superiority.

* * *

You come by the park a few times a week after that, watching Karkat for a couple minutes at a time before he notices you. You start to spar together on the third week, arguing turns to banter on the fourth, and finally on the fifth you come out on top of the session and he admits defeat.

On the sixth, you see him up in the trees, balancing on the end of a branch.

"Hey, KK!" you call up, waving a little.

Apparently, that startled him because his concentration broke and he fell. You catch him before he hits the ground and both of you just stay there for a moment before you start pounding on each other. He's such an ungrateful shit, didn't even thank you for saving his ass and went off about how he 'had it covered. Somehow, in that awkward tangle of hate and pity and admiration for each other, you start off on some kind of friendship.

You tell him about Mituna and how he'd been slipping into visions more frequently, and he tells you about his executed father and how the council was out to get his family. You tell him that the council is out to get everyone in one way or another and he laughs, agreeing.

"So what happened between five and seven?" you ask, looking at him curiously.

"Nothing, I can just carry my weight a bit better." He tells you a little about the Crocker girl he was taken to and how she helped the connections in his life force, how he'd been training to be healthier since then. You guess that that's all reasonable, and that he's certainly good that he does.

* * *

When Mituna doesn't come home when expected, you start to stay with Karkat sometimes so things don't get too lonely. The Vantas family consisted of Karkat, his older brother Kankri, and a couple cousins you couldn't keep straight for the life of you but their were either a Myryam or a Leijon so the last names stuck at least.

They don't mind having you as long as you pull your weight, and you do. You're a good enough house-guest even if the routine of beating each other up and yelling a lot persists while you're out of the house.

When Mituna does come back, he'd different and it worried you. The Mind girl is over a lot and you stay back with Karkat again occasionally so you don't get in the way of trying to recover your cousin's memories and general personality.

Karkat feels more like family after a while and you prefer it there than your own home. No one objects to it, and no one argues when you practically start living there after Mituna was taken away to protect everyone from the oncoming insanity that was plaguing the poor Heir. You don't argue either, because sharing a room with Karkat and the two cousins that were your age was a hell of a lot safer than in your own empty home.


	4. Chapter 4

_Six years ago_

In the years since living with the Vantas/Leijon/Myryam clusterfuck, Sollux haven't seen Mituna. They tell you that he blew out and died. Your thirteen now, and he tells you that he's been starting to feel a little different. Maybe it's the way he says hear people say your name that you can't locate, or maybe it's the pressure in eyes and head that cripple him for hours, or maybe it's the increasingly vivid dreams of death he wakes up babbling about. It's a combination of all of those, likely. It just means he's growing into the Captor name.

Today, you and Sollux are out fighting in the back yard. It had taken some arguing, but eventually Kankri had stepped in and told you that sickles would be an unacceptable advantage an unjust and blah, blah, blah... Sometimes you wish that you could stuff on of Kankri's speeches down his own throat, maybe that would shut him up for a few hours.

It had been a while since the last relapse in your health, so this wasn't entirely uncomfortable as you fight together. The two of you go at it like you're out to kill, blowing off steam of everything in life that went wrong. Something in the fight changes when you bring you nails to scratch down Sollux's face and a little blood stars to well up under his eye. Something about it pulls you in, makes you want more of it. Next time he's close, you press your palms flush to his chest before you understand, and energy surges through you.

Faster than you can blink, the energy is gone and you crumple, breath choked when you get a break in the hacking coughs that spatter blood into your sleeve. You don't know what happened, just that everything is painful and numb, burning and icy all at once.

* * *

Your name is Kankri Vantas and you're the Seer of the family. It isn't a pleasant position, nor is it one you enjoy, but better you than anyone else. What you don't see coming is the fight going on in the back yard. You're fairly certain that an off-handed comment about Mituna had gotten them at it, but that wasn't what worried you.

What worried you is the flash in Karkat's eyes before his hands are pressed into Sollux's chest. What worries you is when Karkat falls to the ground, wheezing and sputtering. What worries you is when Sollux starts choking on dry sobs, clutching his chest and under his eye. 'Tis the age...

You call for Dolorosa, who comes outside to handle Karkat quickly, while you tackle the issue of Sollux. You grab a roll of bandages out of your pocket - you never go anywhere without it - and start to wrap Sollux's wound. It hard started bleeding rather heavily after Karkat's contact to him. You'll have to speak with your brother later. For now, you just have to settle the Captor boy and calm down his twitching.

* * *

You take Sollux to see the doctor, check him over. It seems he had a small heart attack of sorts. By 'of sorts', you mean that it wasn't so much his heart stopping as his blood flow while his heart freaked out. He was fine after some rest and was back on his feet in a couple days.

On the other hand, it was a week before Karkat was able to even stand for ten minutes at a time. He'd lost blood, himself, and his energy use had taken a lot out of him both emotionally and physical. When the week is up, it's good that he isn't back to square one like when he was younger. Seven years of training every day certainly paid off.

You sit as his bedside while he eats, wording the next conversation in your head.

"Karkat, what do you know about Aspects?"

He looked up at you curiously, trying to analyze the conversation and where it was going. He looks so young, it's got to be the first time that shadows hadn't darkened the look of that bright red. "I know that a couple people have one and that it tends to run in families. Like, Doom runs in the Captor family."

You nod. "Yes. In its most basic form, it's just an ability. Sort of. It varies with the classes..." You sigh. "That isn't the point. Do you know what happened with Sollux the other day?"

"I..." He shook his head and his brows furrow, thinking about it. "No, I don't. It just happened..." He looks so distressed and bothered with it, and you could imagine why.

You explained a little about what having an affinity meant, about the precautions, abut the risks. You tell him a little history, a bit of explanation about classes. You tell him about the Blood aspect, how that's what he has to learn to handle. You tell him that it's powerful, hard to control, and that it's simmering presence was what made him so weak and ill.

By the end of it, he looks mildly horrified and you don't know if it's because of all the information of because of what he's housing. You remember that you didn't have it as strong as him, that your abilities were more psychological at first.

You ruffle his hair and smile softly, a glint of something else being the gentle expression. "It's alright, Karkat, I'll teach you."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so that felt like write something along the lines of 'Karkat now that you're getting older your body is going to start to change'. Not the point. The next couple chapters are hopefullforgoing to follow along a decent timeline from here on out. That being said, I'm not going to write how many years ago it is from the first chapter, but it is still at about age 13/14 for the boys.

Thanks for the follows and favourites, guys!

~Chesh


	5. Chapter 5

You are once again the crabby knight-to-be, and glad for it, as a matter of fact. Being someone else was a wildly uncomfortable experience that you wish not to repeat but will likely happen again. And again. You'd rather not think about the discomfort that being in the awkward and lanky, teenaged body of a certain Sollux as you move along.

You're still a little freaked out about what you'd done to him, no matter how much you want to knock his teeth out and spare the world of that god forsaken lisp. You swear, that thing exists for the sole reason as to drive you batshit nuts up the wall when coupled with the rest of his idiocy. Right, you were busy feeling bad. You need to get a handle on those inner rants before your train of thought derails and kills tens upon thousands of innocent men, women, children, and family pets.

As you were saying, you're still bothered by it. He knows it was an accident, and you know it's an accident, but it was generally agreed that you two should watch the fighting for a while. As good as the plan is, your anger just builds and builds without the release of frustrations. Hell, you're barely allowed to lay a hand on anyone who's so much as a little flushed - Kankri's orders. You don't quite understand it, but it slowly starts to make sense in correlation with how a small line of open blood made you go off last time.

Kankri makes you spend hours upon hours with books, some full and some empty. It seems Kankri had taken up some notes over the years on what he knew - which wasn't much, a lot of them were notes about general science and mater manipulation. He has you spending a few hours every day meditating, noting, exploring flow of water and applying the way it moves to the red substance that has become the bane of your existence.

Eventually, you're allowed to actually get into some real work. You're out in the yard with Kankri, holding a sickle over his hand. You're supposed to cut him, but not too deeply; just enough for some blood to well up. Your hands shake, their grip on the weapon white knuckled, and the grip on the hand weak.

"Karkat, the faster you do it, the faster we can get this over with," Kankri said, perfectly calm even if you can hear the undertone of annoyance and impatience.

You close your eyes and take a deep breath. God big or go home, and you know that Kankri could handle it if need be. You pull the sickle back and slash hard into his side, causing him to drop to the ground, holding the wound.

"Karkat, that was very rude! When someone is helping you, you don't go on your own thoughts without letting them know, it's very triggering and they wouldn't appreciate it. You should be able to handle you- mmmffffffffffggffff." You put his hand over Kankri's mouth.

"Shut up, you long winded pain in the ass, and let me do my job, go it?" You move your hand and set to work on pulling his shirt up and over the cut. It's pretty clean, a true testament to how sharp you keep your blades. You watch the welling and dripping blood for a moment, a small desire for more bubbling in you and you could just- No. You clamp down on that and close your eyes, pressing you hands against either side of the wound.

Deep breaths inflate and deflate your lungs and you take the note of that rhythm before adding in the one of your heart, the one of Kankri's heart. Your finger's flex and press into the skin. Your fingers feel slick and your whole body shudders with want. No, stop! Kankri jolts a little and goes still under you.

You plunge back into the intricate networks of veins and capillaries that you have memorized over and over. You knit them together, creating an intricate new web to isolate the fresh gash. You wait for it to stop flowing before releasing your grasp and opening your eyes.

A grin splits along your face to see that it was clotted over and no longer bleeding. It looks a little irritated but that's understandable. Looking at your hands, you see they're shaking a little, but it's okay. Kankri had said you would likely pass out the first couple times you applied energy to your aspect, but seeing as you're only exhausted, you'd call it success. You look at Kankri, who's panting a little, looking at you with something that looks like pride, but there's something more.

For now, you don't think about it. You just relish in the moment as Sollux comes over from where he'd been watching and picks you up. You figure that good, seeing as you're too tired to walk. You drift off against him after he gets a glass or two of water into you. You don't really remember when the two of you became curled up together in bed, but that's how you fall asleep.

* * *

You are Kankri Vantas. You taught your brother everything he knows, which still isn't much. You don't understand how he picked it up so quickly, but it had taken you years to become the honed machine you are now, and you still struggle sometimes. You suppose it make sense, though, why you're suddenly so bitter towards Karkat.


	6. Chapter 6

Watching from the sidelines, you don't think that Karkat would be able to put the cut in Kankri's hand. He looks so upset and nervous, it isn't an expression you're used to from your best friend. You aren't used to him being so vulnerable and generally scared of something that his hands shake like that.

You listen to Kankri snap at him and your blood boils a little bit. It was not Karkat's fault he was nervous, he couldn't help it and- What the hell are you even doing? Since when do you actually defend him, even to yourself?

You shake it off just in time to see the sickle slice through Kankri like he was make of butter, not flesh. Has he lost his mind? You lurch a step forward to go restrain Karkat through your shock when you feel a hand on your shoulder and look up to see Dolorosa watching patiently. You sigh and stay in place, laughing a little at the little rant before he was cut off in favour of Karkat's snapping.

The next few things that happen are a little amazing to you. There isn't some kind of radiating glow, or fireworks, or anything spectacular - not that you expected anything ridiculous like that - but Karkat looks different in all the most subtle ways that you're positive that no one outside of this house would notice.

The expression on his face is concentrated and sure, but at the same time like he was craving something more than what he was having; his posture open and comfortable but absolutely dominant and unsatisfied. You have never seen him so at home and so torn apart, weather it's at the same time or separate. For a moment, you're almost worried that he's going to kill Kankri, but the blood starts to dry and close over itself and there's obvious relieve spreading through the whole atmosphere of the yard.

When he opens his eyes again, the red looks a little brighter with the obvious excitement in them. His smile made your heart beat a little faster for some reason, and you don't quite get it but that's alright. Thirdly, you notice that he's shaking and panting, and you realize that he's probably struggling to stay awake after that display.

You stride over and pick up the small boy, cradling him while you walk inside. He curls into you and you can't help but laugh softly. "Come on, asshole, awake," you say, condescending as possible.

"Nngh... Fuck you..."

You laugh a bit and sit him up on the counter before getting him to drink a bit. The banter keeps up for a couple minutes (it's not really banter, it's more like you're picking on him, and he's struggling to make a coherent reply) before you see that he's starting to nod off again. You smile softly and scoop him up, carrying Karkat back to your room. You can't bring yourself to let go of him, so you lay Karkat down and curl up in bed with him, holding the smaller body against your own. Her lets out a small noise that sounds like purring before he drifts off, and you'll be damned if it isn't the cutest thing you've ever seen, coupled with the light flush to his cheeks and small smile. You fall asleep with him a little while later.

* * *

You see Karkat there. No. It's not Karkat, not... Not really. It's his stark-black hair, his bright red eyes, his matching cloak. But it's not his soft gaze, it's scattered and dazed; it isn't his scowl, but a manic and wide smile, all teeth and insanity. He's blood-spattered and you don't know if it's his own or someone else's, you guess a bit of both though. You call his name and his head tilts a little, smile widening.

"Hey, Captor," he rasps. "Been a while, huh? That's okay, you can make up for it. You always knew just how to piss me off and make me smile. Aren't I smiling, fuckass?" He laughs, and the sound sends shivers down your spine. KK - your kk - isn't there and you know it.

You turn to abscond, a dark green cloak unfurling behind you. Before you can make it too far, there's a sharp pain in your arm and you gasp, turning to see Karkat standing behind you, spinning a little to absorb the momentum of his up calculated and sloppy slash. There's a crackle of red and blue and the sparks shoot at the Knight, but he moves too quickly, clamping his hands around your arm on either side of the cut.

You scream in the agony as fire ribs through your veins, a hundred times worse than anything you've felt through the training you'd done. You look down and see that the blood drip had turned into a building flow down your arm. You don't understand what Karkat is doing- no, scratch that, you don't know why he's doing it. You knew that it was bigger than him, but never this big. You thought he could take it. You thought he cared about you more than this sick desire!

Vision starts to become a thing of the past as blood loss darkens the edges. Your psionics fail you, sparking uselessly. You hear a distant giggle, high and sharp. It's the sound of a madman, a ghost of your shattered and screaming best friend. And you know he's screaming because its last thing you hear, the last thing you see being the heartbreak and fear in his eyes. And then the world is dark, over, done. You lost. Game over.

You never thought the first thing you Saw would end this way.

* * *

A/N: there you go, guys! Sorry that its a little late in the day/night :/ okay.

Cliff hanger.

Dont kill me.


	7. Chapter 7

You're jolted awake in the middle of the night by a sharp screaming. Actually, your sure everyone in the house woke up because of it, but you can't hear if anyone is actually coming or moving around over that god-awful noise. It took a minute to locate the source of the commotion to the thrashing boy laying next to you.

You move onto your knees and check first to confirm that Sollux was still sleeping before starting to shake him. He claws, fighting against you until his eyes fly open to stare, wide and horrified. Those blue and red orbs are clouded, and seeing you seems to send him into another screaming fit. When Kankri and Meulin pushed inside, you were ushered out to wait with Dolorosa and the girls. You count off your relatives to pass time (Nepeta, Porrim, Kanaya, the two in your room with Sollux, Delorosa...) and try to think of what could be happening. You didn't think that you did anything, did you? Maybe...

You sit at the table and close your eyes, listening while delirious shrieks to into choked sobs and muffled babbling. Your grandmother sets a mug on the table in front of you, and you sit up to sip at the hot tea before sending a small 'thank you' her way.

You try to ignore the sounds coming from your room before Your brother and cousin slip out. Kankri looks over in his direction and gestures towards the door. You nod and grab another mug before going back to his room.

Sollux sits back against the wall, quivering a little. He looks exhausted and beaten, like someone had just tried killing him instead of just a nightmare. You crawl up next to him and hold out the mug while he wraps his hands around them. He clutches the scalding container like its nothing, but you realize that his hands are freezing and he's probably drawing on that heat to fill himself again.

"Sollux," you whisper, putting a hand lightly on his shoulder (you try to ignore his flinching), "what happened?" Sollux shakes his head, and as much as it irritates you you stay calm. You don't know what will set him off right now, and if that happens and you get covered in steaming tea, you will not be responsible for your actions. "Sollux, you can talk to me, you know that. Did you have a nightmare?" He nods, slow and careful.

"Meulin s-said I was Seeing. It's just a possibility. It didn't happen, but it could and..." Sollux swipes at his eyes and he leans against you. It makes your heart squeeze a little, but you guess you can make him tell you anything. You guess that Sollux will probably be used and disposed of like Mituna, and until such a time that he's found out, you intend to protect him. You would never hurt Sollux, never let him be hurt. Maybe it would be easier to reassure him if you know what he Saw, but you don't pry. He'll tell you when he can, and you'll wait any amount of time for Sollux over anything.

The two of you talk for the better part of three hours, and finally you both drift back off, holding onto each other tightly again like the world would implode should you be separated.

Morning rolls around and you wake up without another hitch. Sollux is curled contently around you and a soft smile lifts the corners of your lips. Morning light leaks in through the curtains, casting light and contrast across your friend's features. It's a little memorizing and you don't know you're staring until his eyes flutter open and the smile is returned.

"Morning, KK," he croaks hoarsely. You guess that he's going to have to stay quiet enough for his voice to recover his fit. That's alright, the soft rumble suits him more than his usual nasally monstrosity.

"Morning, asshole. Wanna warn me before screaming in my ear next time?" you joke, smile turning into a smirk.

Of course he just smirks back. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your ears while my world was tearing apart?" His reply is sarcastic and sharp, not that you expected anything less.

You roll your eyes at him and stand up, holding out a hand. He grasps it and wow, you've never felt his pulse this strong. You can imagine the blood just under the skin, rich and strong like that beating. It makes you shiver a little to imagine the liquid running through him. Your grip tightens, eyes close, and-

You're met with a sharp jolt that has you drawing your hand away. Opening your eyes again, you look up to see Sollux fizzing red and blue around his eyes and the hand you were just holding. On closer examination, you see red marks that your grip left. The sparks calm down and your eyes meet again, a mutual sense of apology felt.

You lead the way out of your room and to the kitchen, having him sit. You make up breakfast for the two of you (everyone else is asleep, but you couldn't blame them), chattering quietly with the Mage-to-be, scolding him for trying to involve himself. It isn't that Sollux can't cook, it's just that he can't do it without honey. You can't stand the sticky substance, but he adores it so you glob it onto his toast after plating.

Eating was done outside in the yard. Sollux had to lay out a blanket so you wouldn't get we in the dew-dropped grass. You both just lay down are, indulging in the feeling of cold air. You lay a foot and a half apart, though your hands link you. There's a soft buzzing in it, and you don't need to look to confirm that a small glow of red and blue light the air around them.

You do look at Sollux though, eyes curious. He knows it too and gives you a small nod before closing them again and easing yourself into Sollux's blood stream and rhythm. You're gentle in the exploration, knowing that this was all you'd read in the hands-on way that Kankri wouldn't allow. You're anchored by the buzz of energy that crackles about in your friend's flow. You've never felt more at home anywhere than in the steady thud of a heartbeat and the knowledge that you can control yourself.

* * *

A/N: HEADS UP: I am gonna be out of town from Thursday, August 8th to Sunday, August 11th. I will not be updating then. I may not update on the 12th either cuz it's, ya know (no you don't) birthday.

I just want to say that I love everyone reading and reviewing. Wouldn't be able to do this without you all, or even want to! I know that I'm npop widely known or popular on here (yet) but seeing new followers ithey inbox makes me feel so lucky. Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8

You and Karkat spend the rest of the morning attached. You can feel him in your veins, and you know occasionally when something shifts around before he gets a handle on it. You watch him, head tilted to the side. It's the first time you've ever really examined him so thoroughly.

You take in the way his clothes pool around him, quite obviously too big for him. You know that they're spread out across some pretty intense muscles even if he doesn't really look like much. You know that he can pack paunch, and damn if he hasn't proved it to you over and over.

Your case scans down his arm to that hand holding yours, twitching every so often. With that twitching, you feel the occasional tug at something in you that shouldn't be there. You give him a little jolt and that seems to put his subconscious back in line. His grip isn't tight, but it's not loose either and it makes your heart beat a little faster. You know he picks up on it because he shudders and you feels something making space near the organ, an expanding. Another jolt to Karkat and everything is back in place again. You wonder what it's like for him, wanting something so intensely because of something else living inside him. It doesn't make you upset or worried when he slips a little into that wanting, he can't help it and you're keeping him in line well enough.

You travel up to his features and take in the soft curves that make up his profile. You know his face better than your own. Why are you creeping on Karkat anyway?

God, everything is infuriating. Karkat was infuriating in his adorable, impossible ways. Just- fuck! You just want him to fucking knock it off, because he is impossible and awful. He's probably one of the most insufferable pricks you know, but somehow he knows just how to get you. You never, ever want Karkat to be away from you but you don't want to be close. You want him way. Over. Fucking. There. On the other side of the yard, across the fence, just anywhere else. Karkat Vantas, I fucking hate you.

You'd been too deep in first-person thought to even realize that your heart rate is erratic. You try and find the source to feel Karkat's hand had tightened fiercely, nails digging in. It's okay.

You send a shock through your hand, into his and wait for the grip to relax. It doesn't. You bolt again and wait for Karkat to breath in deep and relax, but he remains somehow fluid and rigid at once, breath barely existing as far as the cancer is concerned.

You start to feel constricted and floaty as you receive a flash of Karkat, blood-spattered and smiling like someone insane. You try to yank your hand from the iron grip, and all that happens are that Karkat's eyes open. Your breathing comes shallower to see it. They're not wide, darkly coloured, and crazed. It's nothing like your vision, the way he looked at you. Then, you knew that something was in there ome of Karkat's heart and soul.

That isn't there now.

Like it never has been there.

And never will be there.

For the time being, your Karkat is gone. This new Karkat is pale, but sickly so to where he looks like he's been dead a long time, not a drop of blood in his body. His lips aren't soft pink, they're a tinted grey, bleeding in places because he'd been chewing roughly on it the moment before he'd looked at you. With those eyes. Oh god, those eyes... They're black. No whites, no iris, no pupil, just black and wide. They send shivers though you as they stare right into your very being.

* * *

You're name... You can't remember it. All you know is that you've been ripped harshly in two and it's agony. The closest thing you compare it to is like someone just crushed an ax into your very essence, but that doesn't even come close to this. Being physically dismembered would be less painful that having your very spirit and soul torn apart.

But it's not your soul. It's not like that. It's everything about you but your body. And it's not like you've been ripped in two exactly. No. It's so much more than just that but you can't explain it any other way. It's hard to even think as that monstrous half of you comes out and smothers the screaming and shrieking part that is you and not It. Kankri told you that it was a strong Aspect, that it was hard to control. He didn't tell you it was like something possessed your body when it got out of control.

You hadn't done anything. You hadn't let it out of control. Not once. You'd been training so well, but not well enough apparently. Only one controlled linking and that had been yesterday... You shouldn't have even laid a hand on... The name escapes you, all you remember is the strong beating and rushing inside the vein networks. You'd been moving through it calmly, and sometimes you were fighting it but something kept you grounded, something linked to the flowing you were running with.

And then that pulse got faster. And faster. And you couldn't help the pulling that got away from you. Suddenly, the buzzing wasn't there anymore and everything was dark and painful. When your eyes open and your gaze turns to see the boy by your side, but it's clouded and hazy. He starts talking a mile a minute but it's just a drone in your ears.

There's a loud cracking of energy in your ears and another shock comes through you. You don't move, you don't react, but it's painful as hell and makes You bubble a whimper in your mind. You aren't in control, It is and it's horrible.

You're lifted suddenly and pulled back, off the boy. Your mouth is moving but you don't know what you're saying. All the while, your arms are being held part by the wrists and off anything. You're shoved unceremoniously into a darkened room, the lock clicking on the door louder than anything you've ever heard.

* * *

A/N: oh man, it's late. Sorry. I tried to do downtime in this chapter, and it started that way but...

I'm so insanely pumped for the next few chapters though. Just a couple more here before slipping back into sporadic time-skips and then the main plot. I know exactwhew here everything is going now. For the most part. Kind of.

I want to do a sort of filler somewhere but mindless dribble is not my forte (clearly). If anyone wants to see anything heppen in here, request and I could fill in a gap with said FILLER. It would be fun.


	9. Chapter 9

You are new to this story. No, that's not true. You are what drives this story, what keeps it moving. You are the main antagonist, but you are no human being. You have been in essence forever, in existence for almost fourteen years. You have no true name, but you have every name. You are no God or Devil, and you come from nowhere and everywhere. You've been festering for fourteen years, and today you make your appearance. For all purposes, you are Blood.

You are not the blood that keeps all life flowing, you are not the red liquid that the world depends on. You are not in everyone, you are not a general. You are very specific. You have been the driving force in Karkat Vantas's life, and thus every life around him.

You made him ill. It was heavy illness, he remembers it. You didn't do it on purpose, but his young body hadn't been able to take you on right away. You made him strong. When Life connected the two of you, he faught damn hard to get better. He was fighting you and fighting with you all at once. You brought Doom to him, right to him, and gave him a best friend. Yourself and Doom had never gotten along, but you tried to stay quiet with it. You knew that the boys would help each other.

You made him unique, powerful, full of potential. Well, almost. In the last year when you'd really started to test Karkat, he tried to control you. You aren't to be controlled, and he knew it. He could feel it. You just... Couldn't help yourself. You saw Sollux bleed and it was like watching something magnificent. If lust is a sin, you don't want to be a saint. You drew out more, and Karkat was afraid. Everyone was. That was when your divide with him started.

When he was practicing, you guided him in his understanding. When Kankri did what he did - and he knew what he was doing, what he was messing with - it was all you could take to step back and let Karkat handle it. You almost made a mess, but it was all part of the plan.

And then he was... Holding hands... With the Mage and Doom. It drove you crazy while he mapped it out on his own, feeling that warm, glorious rush without you. You couldn't resist, and you wanted it badly.

So you pulled yourself away, pushed him down. You had to give the kid credit, he fought against you even after he was gone and out the scene. You put yourself deep into the steam and started to pull, dug your nails into his skin, drew out the substance that you were starved of. The wait was worth it, and the time you had with it was perfect. Just what you needed to keep everything moving in the Grand Scheme.

* * *

You are starting to come to, everything aching. Your eyes take longest to adjust back to normal, but when sight is once again a clear thing, you take in the fact that you're in the safe room in the basement. With a sigh, you force yourself tiredly to your feet and stumble to the bed.

You lay down and close your eyes, utterly worn and exhausted, used up. You remember that your name is Karkat, but it's a tired and empty memory that means little to you right now. What does matter is that you're completely and horrendously fucked.

You wonder what everyone is thinking of you right now. They probably think you're monstrous, but that's alright. You suppose you are, because you did that, and it happened, and Sollux could be very hurt because of you. You would be amazed if you aren't executed immediately. Maybe it's best if you are.

* * *

A/N: short chapter is short. Got stuff to god today. I might have another chapter sometime tonight, but I am going away and may not update again until Tuesday. This made me happy to write. I need to work with my ability to draw things out because my small chapters bother me a little.


	10. Chapter 10

It's been a few days since the incident and you look up from where you'd dropped yourself on the bed in the days prior as the door knob jiggles a little. You wonder who it could be, but don't dwell too long since whoever it is won't stick around long.

You've seen your older family members come in, but it's very brief just to give you meals and check up. No one gets too close or closes the door. They're scared you'll have another episode, but all they're doing is making you want more. And more. And more. And it's too much, it's driving you a little crazy. You've made a leap or two for the door to find it shut tightly as soon as you come into spitting distance. It makes your heart ache and stomach churn.

Soon that want turned into agonizing loneliness and all you're left to do is meditate and move through your own cardiovascular system.

You'd tried to draw out the thing that made you flip your shit, but to no avail. Apparently it just came and went as it pleased, ruining your life one small step at a time.

When the door finally succeeds in opening, you look up to see Kankri for the first time since it happened. He looks tired and angry and disappointed, but doesn't say a word as you're shoved onto your stomach. He takes his time in tying your hands behind your back securely before hauling you up the stairs.

Your stomach ties in knots as you realize what's happening. You're being taken to the council. Game over.

* * *

A/N: painfully short chapter, sorry. I hit a little writers block and I'm a little off my emotional game, thus making this a little difficult. I know what I'm doing with the next chapter though and I hope to make up for this Travesty.


	11. Chapter 11

It's been two weeks since the incident, nine days since Karkat had been dragged out and betrayed, four days since he'd come home from the Council, and two hours since he'd woken up.

You hadn't been told all that much, but you'd been freaking out since he'd been taken out. You'd seen Kankri march from the house, panicking KK in tow while your best friend sputtered profanities and threats. You know that they were backless and fear-filled if not empty at all.

You'd spent the night in the dark of your room, scribbling furiously in your notebook. You scribbled every name that you heard screeched and didn't sleep until you were sure that Karkat was safe and unharmed. You wrote every name of the damned that floated into your mind and drowned out everything else until someone would shake you, tell you it's morning. You know that you were getting some sleep, just enough so you could stay awake for each torturous night and be able to safely report that Karkat was fine. You didn't tell anyone about these sessions of course, it would just worry them.

You finally gave it up when Karkat was brought back home. You were at the table, tracing the lines in it's surface and trying to get everything to just quiet- no, you need quiet- no, you need QUIET- and the small twitches worked through you as your treacherous mind played tricks.

It took you a moment to realize that the front door was open and Dolorosa is standing there with Karkat gathered up in her arms, cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. She looked at you tiredly before sweeping through the house and into your room. She came back in, shutting the door with the sole statement that no one was allowed in until he was awake.

And now he is.

You creep into your room, stand by the doorway, and look at Karkat. You can tell he's awake by the way he's laying on his back, breathing a little deeper than someone who's been out fucking cold for four days. You take note of all the little things - the lack of colour in his cheeks, the small shaking in his hands, the way he looks dead to the world - before you hear a soft sigh.

"You know," he pauses, taking a couple breaths that don't seem to do him a whole lot of good, "just because you're being- *in, out, in* -quiet,'doesn't mean I don't fucking know you're- *breath, breath* -there, asshole."

You laugh a bit and roll your eyes, going to sit next to him on the edge of the bed. A small sigh escapes you as his eyes flicker open, and you're pleased to see that it's his red eyes instead of that soulless black. Mind you, they're filled with exhaustion and questions, but they're his.

You're first to break the new-found awkward silence. "How're you feeling?" You ask, watching him carefully and taking one of his hands. It feels sort of cold and limp but that's alright, because he it's already prodding around your pulse.

"Tired," he replied, rolling his eyes a little.

"Well ya, dumbass, I guessed that. I meant other that that."

He offers you a small shrug before closing his eyes again. "In control, I guess. Healthier. Less at war, ya know?" And you do know, so you nod.

* * *

When Karkat is back o. His feet, everything seems to calm down. The family is a little less wary and worried, your sleep schedules falling back into place. He tells you a little about the council and what happens, but stands by the statement that he doesn't remember much. You don't doubt that for a moment with the state he'd been in lately.

He goes back to his usual training, using you more offer than anyone. You can tell that there's still a little wanting in it, but don't question it because he really is a lot more controlled now and more himself. You can tell its more his warm power and that cold fury that he'd been before. It's a lot more comfortable and easy going, familiar in a way because it feels like Karkat and not something other.

He's always there for you when you have a nightmare and it feels good to have someone you know well to calm you down. They're changed lately, from Karkat to someone like him. You can't really tell who it is, or why they look so much like your friend,but they're obviously different people. The eyes are darker red, hair more brown than black, featured sharper. They strike you as absolutely common but your brain can't grasp who they're common to.

You don't dwell too long on it, of course, because the nights you aren't having nightmares, Karkat is. Sometimes he settles down, but sometimes he'll wake up and cry into his pillow. He never comes over to your bed like he used to, the only evidence of tears being the occasional gasp or squeak the escapes him.

"H-hey, captor?" You hear his quiet voice drift across the room. It's dark and quiet, but you'd been fine with it because the voices weren't keeping you awake, just your inability to sleep.

"Ya, KK?" you whisper back, eyes staying closed.

"Be careful, okay?"

You frown a little bit, not understanding what he means. "Be careful of what?" Really, you haven't done much that would get him in the trouble he'd been in. You don't really hurt anyone with your nightmares, your psionics are under wraps, and your mood swings haven't really hurt anyone.

"The council. Don't get in their way. It... Hurts." He sounds so broken.

"KK... Will you tell me what they did to you now?" And apparently you sound broken too.

He doesn't answer you, he just gets up and shuffles over to your bed, crawling under the covers and curling up against you in silence. You wrap your arms around his trembling shoulders, resting your chin on his and ignore the fact that your chest is dampening with his tears. You figure that you both might be a little broken, but you're broken together and you'll both turn up fine.


	12. Chapter 12

You're name is Karkat Vantas and you've jumped five years into the future of the past, now being in the past of the present but less so. You're now nineteen years old and a lot has changed.

Dolorosa had been taken in and sold off for reasons no one in the family really understands, but Marquis McSpiderBitch had taken her off traveling. You get sporadic letters from her assuring that she's doing fine, life is fine, everything is fine. You sigh and set down another one of those letters o the table, running your hand through your hair.

Everyone else had gone their separate ways for the most part. Kankri works for the Council, Meulin was off living somewhere with her husband (they didn't tell anyone where they went, you guess you understand why though), Porim had dropped off the face of the earth and no one heard from her since she'd left the week she'd turned twenty, four years ago. Kanaya and her girlfriend were off exploring, and only recently had Nepeta gone to live in the forests (you haven't gone to visit, nor do you intend to any time soon.

Oh, and Sollux had moved back into his old little house. Apparently it had been his since Mituna had died and he hadn't felt a need to move back in to the lonely and haunted place when he was little. Really, he hadn't even felt a need to stop living with you until about half a year ago when you'd decided it was probably best he go back to his own place. That was when the first body turned up.

It wasn't like anything special was happening recently, it just happened out of the blue. They found a girl in the square, wrists and throat slit. She was empty of blood, but it wasn't hard to see where it had gone - splattered against the the cobblestone of the street in intricate sweeps that seemed to be wings on closer inspection. It had been awful and everyone had become a little more cautious, but it was just a freak thing, right?

Apparently not, because when it finally settle down a few months later, the second victim, a man, was found outside the entrance the the Council Building. The pattern was the same, corpse empty and blood spread out, but it was clear that it was less cared for when the strokes were made.

When the third was found another month later, the alley was a mess and it was clear that this wasn't stopping any time soon if something wasn't done. People whispered about it, children were to stay in yards, and no one went out alone.

When you were first dragged in for questioning, they fired them off.

"Where were you these evenings?" Home with Sollux, trying to stop him from sparking and working with him to quiet the voices.

"When was the last time you lost your grip?" When you fuck-faced morons dragged me out of my home, ripped me to shreds, and sent me back.

"Have you felt the need to draw blood lately?" Yes, I would like to empty you right fucking now.

You didn't answer like that of course, you answered calmly, what they wanted to hear. Sollux had decided that it would probably better if you parted ways for a while and decided to go home. He still comes over sometimes, but it's not frequent and you don't leave the house together.

You sit at the table now, drumming your fingers and sorting through the mail with about as much interest as if you were listening talking about Gamzee's miracles. You don't leave the house much these days, but today you have something to do.

You get up from the table and pull on your cloak before slipping out into the night. Maybe it's the silence, or maybe it's the cold breeze, but something throws you off and you hate it.

* * *

**YOU ARE NOW PRESENT KARKAT** and you have finally awoken fom the strings of memories that lead to right here. Right now. You don't let yourself slip back into sleep from where you lay on the couch, but it's so tempting. Just a minute... No, you don't want to relive that night so soon after reviewing the rest of your life's hell. You get up, walk around the little hovel and then look over at Sollux's door.

You wonder if he's even asleep or if he's wrapped up in a book. Probably neither. He's probably curled up in the corner, hands over his ears, fizzling red and blue. He's probably trying to hide in his own mind from the insanities that reside there. It makes you upset to think about it, but you sake your head. No, he hadn't done that since you two were kids and you know it. You're just a little caught up in the past still.

You grab a slice of bread from the cupboard and munch on that to distract yourself. The month you'd been in the jail, they hadn't fed you well and your weight had dropped considerably. This would do for now, you weren't about to raid Sollux in the middle of the night anyway.

Taking a seat in the living room again, you choose the floor over the couch and press your palms against the warped wood. You don't move a lot, just meditate quietly to calm your nerves. Before you know it, you've fallen asleep again and it's suddenly morning when Sollux wakes you. The first few hours go by in silence before your both at the table and Sollux pipes up.

"Karkat, we've been friends for years," he said. Using your full name meant business and you'd only heard him use it enough times to count on one half of one hand. "You're going to tell me everything now."

* * *

A/N: I finally made a full circle in the timeline! f*ck yes! Thank you for all the continual support and baring with me, guys ^^


	13. Chapter 13: fillerexplanations

Cold Blood: Capter 13

((A/N: this'll be written first person due to first hand accounts from Karkat and I don't want to do another time jump. Too many of those and I'll start feeling Hussie- MOVING ON.))

Well, at thirteen I was reported to the council. You were there, you watched Kankri drag me out, remember? You just sat there and did nothing- No, Sollux, I'm not blaming you for everything. Shut the fuck up. Alright, so I don't remember everything. I spent a day or so just locked up in a room, but at that point it was nothing unusual. Believe it or not, that time was probably the most relaxed out of all of it even if I'd been reduced to talking to myself. Well, not myself. You told me you saw it in a me suit, I was talking to that. I don't sound too insane, do I? No? Good.

Alright, so the next two days after that were spent under severe interrogation about what had happened. If anyone ever told you that the Council is fair and just, they were either extremely stupid or they'd never had an audience with them. I told them what I remembered happening - which wasn't much - and what I remember feeling - which wasn't much other than pain and fear - but it took them two whole fucking days to drain every last drop of resistance from me. I guess they still have a grudge against dad or something.

The next two are a lot more blurry. A lot of moving and a lot of hurting and a lot of dark that I can't remember. It was exhausting though, they kept telling my to push it out- CAPTOR, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SNICKERING AT?! SHUT UP.

I'm not sulking, Sollux, this is just hard to talk about. Stop making everything a joke just this once. Thanks...

I don't understand what they wanted me to do, but there was a long time when things were just dark. I guess that was when I was sleeping. Everything they wanted me to do took heavy tole on my energy, so those days were really important. And then you were there when I woke up. You know how things go from there. You know how things were easier and calmer. You know how I was more controlled. You know all this, I don't want to talk about life in excruciating detail. No, Sollux, I'm not going to tell you a story, you were fucking there, dipthong.

So then... Nothing really happened until the murders started. There were some nightmares but I'm not talking about those, they're not important. And then I got dragged in last month for a lot of questioning. I guess they wouldn't have believed how many times I claimed innocent, I was always guilty to them because of my previous circumstances. They talked a lot about my aspect being a sick mutation and called Kankri in to talk abut it a bit. It wasn't right, he was shifty and off his obnoxious game.

He looked different, but it's been years since I've really seen him up close so I don't think about it, why should I? I guess it just set me on edge how eager he was the throw me under the bus.

When they released me with a pat on the head, I didn't think a lot of it. I got a call from Letter from Gamzee and went to meet him the night of the last killing, but Gamzee wasn't there. It was someone standing over a corpse. And then they left and the guards got there and you know the drill from there. Is that enough of everything for you, Sollux? I didn't sleep well, I'm taking a nap. Yes, captor, in your room. Well fuck you too... Night.

((A/N: inadequate chapter is inadequate... If you're following Tracks, there won't be Ian update tomorrow due to the fact that I will be at a convention.))


End file.
